Chasing After You
by pipsqueak66
Summary: Clare was kidnapped, and Eli decides it's his job to find her. But what happens when there's more to be found than just Clare? Eli has to fight with his past in order to control the future. R&R. Clare and Eli!
1. Chapter 1

Authors Note: I love Clare and Eli. So cute! Please R&R

Chasing After You

Chapter One

"When was the last time you saw Miss. Edwards?"

Clare was missing.

"Yesterday," I replied wondering if Mr. Simpson could tell my voice was shaking, "in English."

"Did you have any contact with Miss. Edwards after school hours?" Adam Johnson was at least six feet tall and had the broadest shoulders I'd ever seen. He towered over me even when sitting.

"Eli," Mr. Simpson murmured "we need to know everything you know so we can find her."

"Why don't you tell me what you know?" I shot back.

"Excuse me?"

"Did Clare run away?" I said ignoring him.

"She was kidnapped, Eli."

_I'd always hated Mondays. That's what I was thinking when I arrived at Degrassi that day, but there was something that always made my days better - Clare. She was walking towards the building when I drove in._

"_Clare!" she turned around quickly looking around. When she saw me she smiled lightly and lifted her right hand in a gentle wave. _

"_Eli!" A rough hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. _

"_Fitz," I murmured._

"_What the hell is your problem?" He shouted at me. I was completely dumbfounded as to why._

"_What?"_

_But instead of answering my question he said "You'd better watch out, or you'll lose the one thing most important to you."_

"Eli?"

"I haven't had any contact with her."

Mr. Johnson sighed loudly as if he was expecting more, "do you know anything?"

The lie came out easily: "No."

"Then you can go back to class," Mr. Simpson said as I stood up.

Degrassi was easy to escape. Skipping was no problem, you could walk right out the front door and never get noticed. I walked down the hall slowly trying to figure out what I should do. Go back to class and let the cops handle it? I knew more than they did. I could find Clare myself. I _would _find her myself.

I had to.

I ran out of the building and hopped in my car. Fitz was going to get it. He had taken the one thing most important to me and I was going to get him for it. If it was anyone else - anything else - it wouldn't have mattered, but this was Clare!

Part of me wanted to cry, it was terrifying thinking about what could've happened to Clare. What _he _could've done to her.

I skidded to a stop a block away from Fitz's house. I knew his parents were out of town because everyone was talking about a killer party he threw last night. Had Clare been there? Is that when she was kidnapped?

I ran around to the back of the house, peaking in the windows to check that no one was home. I could feel my anger pulsing through my veins.

"Clare!" I yelled even though I knew she couldn't hear me, then I punched in the basement window. "Clare!"

The basement was dark and wet. Everything around me was cement, there was no sign of life anywhere.

"Clare?" My voice echoed through the large empty room. And I felt my heart drop when I heard no answer. She wasn't there, I didn't know where she was.

And there was nothing I could do.

That's when I heard it. A small muffled groan coming from the other end of the basement. It was pitch black as I walked towards it.

"Hello? Clare?" I called. The groan was louder now, it sounded muffled as if they had duct tape over their mouth, or a hand.

"Oh, god! Clare!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

She pointed at the duct tape on her mouth.

"You want me to…?" I asked. Then, walking forward I carefully pulled up the top right corner of tape "I'm going to do it fast, like a band-aid. Ready?" I ripped the duct tape off, her whimper broke my heart.

"Shhh," I murmured pulling her head to my chest, "its alright." Quickly I untied her hands and together we undid the rest of the ropes.

"Eli," she gulped "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be, it's not your fault. It's mine one hundred percent. I'm so sorry, Fitz would never have gone after you if it weren't for me."

She didn't agree, but she didn't disagree either. "Can we get out of here?"

"Yeah," her hand found mine and we slowly tip toed across the cement floor. My eyes seemed to have adjusted to the darkness by then. "C'mon Clare," I tugged her arm.

She groaned, "I'm so…"

"Clare?"

I never wanted to see this.

Never.

My girlfriend, the one person who made my life worth living, broken on the floor.

"Clare?"

"Oh Eli," he laughed "you're so naïve. Did you really think," the candle, invisible in the darkness, lit up filling the space between us "that I would just leave her here, alone? Unprotected? I knew you'd come for her. I've been planning this for a while."

"Clare," I breathed still kneeling beside her.

"She's not dead. I wouldn't kill her," he twirled something in his hand. "Oh, this. This tranquilizer dart puts her out. She's quite talkative and I can't take all the crying."

I gritted my teeth together.

"What's wrong emo boy?"

"What do you want? Is this just to get back at me?"

"Get back at you, revenge, same difference. This is the best kind, hurting you physically, killing you, all that stuff works okay but this, this is the best kind of revenge there is. Clarebear is everything to you, seeing her break will break you, and what's better than that?"

I stared at him, my eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" he insisted.

"I'm just trying to remember how all of this started. This entire battle, it seems pointless. I was trying to prove a point by not letting you bully me, but Clare was right. I'm so wrong to think that revenge will make things better. I should have dropped this a long time ago."

"Are you trying to change my mind? It's not going to work." Fitz replied.

"I know you won't admit it, but I think you know I'm right."

"Shut up Emo boy." He shook his head at me and for a second I believed that he was listening but suddenly there was a prick in my side and I felt the tranquilizer put me under.

A/N sorry it's short. Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"What are you going to do when the cops show up?"

"Shut up." Fitz sing-songed for the millionth time.

"They're going to come here, they'll expect it after everything last semester." I wasn't about to give in to Fitz.

"I swear you talk more than Clare."

"You can be angry with me," I paused "but please don't make her go through this." My head was throbbing, my heart pounding in my ears. I wanted to scream. What was in that tranquilizer? What about Clare?

"What's the fun in that?" Suddenly there was a screech and light flooded the stairwell.

"Fitz, man there's people here." Owen pounded the wall twice as if he needed to get Fitz's attention. Fitz rose from his chair, glared at me quickly, then bounded up the stairs. He closed the door, draping us in darkness.

"I'm going to punch him." She suddenly spoke startling me. "It's not funny," she said retorting my laughter, "I'm going to punch him."

"I'm sorry, it's not funny." I couldn't stifle the laughter this time, imagining Clare punching somebody.

"Oh yeah, it's hilarious," she said sarcastically. "Well, while you and Fitz were having your man-talk, I've been working on getting out of here."

"And what's your master plan, Agent Edwards."

"I'm working on it."

"Working on it?"

"Yeah," she paused "why is this happening to me?"

"It's my fault," I hung my head "all of this is."

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"I - I honestly can't disagree with you, but Fitz is the one who overreacted." She said "I'm going crazy!" I could hear her shuffling around trying to untie the ropes that bound her hands together. "Would you help me? Eli?"

"I'm tied up too!" I snapped.

"Cranky."

We didn't speak after that. The only sound came from a flustered Clare who was trying to free herself. It felt like days, sitting in that moldy basement. Seconds ticking by, then minutes. Thirst lingering on my tongue.

I had to stay strong, strong for Clare.

Clare POV

I don't want this to tear me and Eli apart. This whole nightmare is changing everything, we're both on edge.

The door blasted open, and fear shivered through my body. The figure walked towards us, without seeing his face, I already knew it was Fitz. I wanted to scream, to kick him, fight him.

"Hey, Clare." His breath was thick with alcohol, the smell made me gag. "What's going on, baby? I was thinking we could have some fun tonight," my heart raced and my hands started to shake.

"Over my dead body!" Eli shouted.

"Quiet, Emo Boy! That can very well be arranged."

"No," I breathed.

"Come on Clarebear," he unhooked the ropes from the floor, I used this to my advantage. His hands grasped my hips trying to lift me over his shoulder. I thrashed, kicking, and screaming. He fought back pushing me to the ground. I scurried trying to stand back up. His hand covered my mouth and I bit down, his blood dripped into my mouth. Something flew over my head, glinting in the light from the stairs. A knife.

"Bitch!" He cried. "Owen! Get down here!" I could see Eli struggling on the other side of the room, trying to unbind his ties. "Owen," Fitz turned to yell to his buddy I lunged for the knife, but Fitz caught me before I could.

I could feel him, pressing down on me. Ripping my clothes off despite my fighting. Eli yelling in protest.

My whole life being torn away just like Darcy's was.

The only difference being the fact that I might not get away like Darcy did.


End file.
